What a book can do
by GorgoVoid
Summary: Hermione Granger is still a book lover. Her favourite book is still Hogwarts: A History. No one knows why, but now it doesn't matter, or at least that's what she thinks since she's not a student anymore. However, she is asked to come back as a substitute teacher and the walls that once were witness, may be witnesses again.


**AN: This is a turn in the Harry Potter books history, everything happened as in the books... With some exceptions. The epilogue is out of question, of course, as the main characters here are in their middle twenties or so. Also there will be some flashbacks, and although they will continue the line of the main story they obviously will change a little the actual, real story. **

**Warning: It is rated M for a reason. Well, several reasons. This will contain boyxboy love, homosexual sex. If not a fan of that nor heterosexual, the chapters will be properly marked as sexual in any case.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything, everything recognizable from her magical world, is hers._

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_**Prologue**_

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Why does Hermione know so much about Hogwart's history?

Well, of course, because she has read fully, deeply, entirely and plenty of times the book 'Hogwarts: A History'. But why does that come so?

She was a bookworm. She knows the library as well as Madame Pince – if not even better. Every book that falls in her hand, is a book that she'll never forget. Not only the title, author and content, as general. There are books that she remembers almost word by word, while reading them she was so swallowed by their wonderful value and knowledge, that she couldn't helped but memorised them.

Therefore, why? Why has she read so many times that one only book about the school and it's grounds and it's headmasters and teachers and magic inside?

The reason was… blonde. She knew that, she didn't deny it as she was only admitting it for herself. She caressed softly the spine of the massive book, only this one was slightly different than the one in the school library. New, unread, with no marks of writted nor erased notes, with no spilled ink. No age on it's pages. No memories of students bending over it's little letters to learn through them. She was buying it because she felt the need to have a full and well stacked shelves. Nothing more. Just in case someday she will need to…

To what, she asked herself. She knew she could recite it almost word by word from the beginning to the end. Her heart missing a beat was the only thing that stopped her to put back the book on it's hollow in the shelve of the book' shop. Well, maybe it wasn't the only thing. The memories helped, as they went fast by her mind. He, the stupid arrogant one, not wanting to give her the book even if he had come to the library to return it. He with the book under the arm, hissing at her one title that may or may not had helped her to find what was terrorising the entire castle, specially muggle-borns. He, always he, always sitting near the shelf where the book was.

Trying to keep calm and collected, she took herself to walk unhurriedly towards the shop owner while reading again the index, and glaring at her surroundings. It was similar to Flourish and Blotts' store, just that here there was a much more full range of different type of books. Hermione wouldn't go as far as said that that one was her favourite store, but the time she took every time she visited obviously pointed how much beauty in her eyes had that particular magical store.

When she was ready to pay, she finally put her feet on the earth and her eyes in front of her and realised that Mr. Armistead looked knackered. More than usual, as he had bags under his eyes, to match his habitual dark circles.

- Mister Armistead, are you all right?-. She whispered, knowing that he would jump out of his chair if she used a normal tone of voice.

- Ah? Oh, miss Granger, excuse me. I'm so sorry I didn't notice you before. I'm sorry, I'm fine, thank you. How are you?-. He mutter at first confused, then hanging his head low. He tried to get the book in the counter to write down the title and the amount of money in his account book.

She allowed him, contemplating his beautiful handwrite. She had asked him before abut that old fashioned way of knowing what and to whom was sell every book. And the reason was simply because he didn't want new technologies or magic around his lifetime long job. As he slid his quill in bright orange ink, she decided to try again.

- Mr. Armistead, please… I know when you are pouring happiness when you receive a new, rare book. I know when you have sold that one book that didn't deserve to be catching dust, closed in the shelve. I consider myself friends of yours… And I know that you are not fine.- She took a deep breathe, fingers brushing the ancient wood of the counter between them.

An intense silence followed her words. He kept looking down, but his spotted hand stopped writing. They even had tea, one afternoon not so long ago. But he was indeed a closed man, not much talkative and a little too bit of a reclusive. Hermione often thought that he must have been Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. His dull, thin silver hair was dishevelled and a few forelock were out of their habitual place. After a moment, his hand ended her name and the quill was placed at it's site.

- Miss Granger… Oh well, what's the point… You see… I'm older and older every year that goes by, and my son is busy at his job, and my grandson have been recently hired at his dreamed job. And I honestly can't afford the remaining of my debts and the debt interest. Despite you, lovely heart, coming to shop and buy almost daily here, I just can't. And my wife is worried and… Long story short… We will close at the end of this month. And there is nothing that can possibly be done. Now, if you excuse me...-. His old droopy eyes ended their travel across the counter, the quill, the purchased book and the soft hands of the woman, and have raised to look in the eye at the young witch. With trembling lips, she acknowledged that Mr Armistead didn't want to talk no more, as he was dragging feet towards the back shop unable to say anything more.

With her grieving heart pounding fast but her trembly hands clumsy enough to make difficult to grab the galleons, she put the money in the counter, took the book and got out at the edge of tears.

Her fiancé waived at her from the window of the pub nearby. The sun loosened the knot in her throat, and trying to smile she went with him. She didn't know how long she was at the book shop, but surely Harry and Ron didn't mind, talking about their career as aurors. Hermione get her pointy nose up, tucking her book in her bag and rushing towards them.

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SO so so nervous! I hope I didn't do too bad. Thank you for reading anyway! Leave a review if you like - or continue reading hehe. I will be uploading a chapter every Monday without fail, or at least I intend so.

Gorgo.


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